Rockstar Games is pushing for employees to return to the office, in part to avoid further leaks of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI.The studio previewed the game’s first official trailer in December, but that came after a 2022 breach that resulted in leaked footage. As Bloomberg reports, Rockstar is now using that incident to crack down on remote work.In an email to staff, Rockstar Head of Publishing Jenn Kolbe told employees that there are “tangible benefits” to returning to work. “Making these changes now puts us in the best position to deliver the next Grand Theft Auto at the level of quality and polish we know it requires, along with a publishing roadmap that matches the scale and ambition of the game,” she wrote.The game, which has been in development for years, is set for launch sometime in 2025, 13 years since the launch of Grand Theft Auto V. The game returns players to the fictional Vice City where they play as a criminal couple named Lucia and Jason.In the post-pandemic era, many companies have allowed for remote work or adopted a hybrid approach that has people in the office two or three days per week. Rockstar will require employees to be in person five days per week starting in April, Bloomberg says.
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Other companies, many of whom are saddled with pricey office leases, are doing the same. As IGN reports, Ubisoft Montreal told employees it would allow 100% remote work, but later forced everyone back into the office. Amazon also put an end to fully remote work and now requires all employees to be in the office at least three days a week.Game studios have also been laying off employees left and right, making it a double whammy of stress for workers these days.
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